Web 2.0

I learned a lot from this course. It helped me understand how I can use tools in technology to better my classroom. Using technology makes the students smarter and more advanced in their studies. This is an important course to take because technology is so prevalent in our society today, and teachers always need to be up to date on how to teach students in the most successful manner. Children today love using computers and other technology related tools, which is why they need it incorporated into their lessons. Using things they enjoy in the classroom will make them more excited about learning.

I found this really great blog post called “Increase Student Engagement by Getting Rid of Textbooks.” It was a pretty interesting post about how teachers see textbooks as a useful tool, but students may not get as much out of them as teachers. I feel like this issue is one of great concern because using just the textbook will not give the student what he/she needs. When textbooks are used along with outside sources then they are not as bad of a tool to use in the classroom.  I don’t know if I agree with everything from this article, but it is certainly worth reading and forming your own opinion about the issue.

The first time that Google Docs was brought to my attention was during this Web 2.0 class. I didn’t realize that this was actually a document created in Google; I thought it was somehow loaded into Google through Excel. I thought I would never be able to understand how this would work, and after learning about how Google Docs actually works I know that I will use this program whenever possible. Being able to have one document that people can update and change is a great thing for teachers to use when communicating with each other about many different classroom ideas.

The first way that I can see this being used in the classroom is when teachers are trying to collaborate and make lessons together; they can create one document and update it as many times as they want until they get the lesson they want. Using this program, teachers will only deal with one document, they won’t have to send e-mails back and fourth, and they can decide on a lesson without actually setting up a meeting.

Another great way to use this program is when teachers have to figure out specifics for scheduling plans throughout the day or planning a grade party/event. The teachers can create a page where they can change and make plans instantly based on each class’s schedule. For example if the grade was having a big seder for Passover things could be split by grade, and as the plans come together the document could be changed and updated.

Lastly, this program could be used as a way to peer review in class. The students could create their documents on Google Docs, and as they go through the writing process other students could peer review the pieces and make comments directly on the document. There would be no confusion about which document is the most updated; everything would be saved to the one document, and the students could make the changes right away on the computer. I really enjoyed using this Internet program, and will be excited to share this great tool with other teachers at school.

I LOVE youtube! I really can’t say it enough, and now that I know there is a teachertube I will use this site as well. The only problem with youtube is all the different types of content that can be found on the site. A teacher has to be very careful and monitor what the students are searching, and even limit the search options. Another great video streaming site is Discovery Education, which has a lot of useful videos that go along with grade level standards. I will use videos whenever I can in my teaching (as long as they are meaningful) because I think that a lot of students like to watch videos in the classroom. Watching educational videos is a great way to support the curriculum you are teaching. Videos can also be a great way to introduce a new topic in class or kind of sum up everything learned in a unit. I found a great teachertube video (Georgia Habitats) about the 5 different habitats in Georgia, which would be useful for the students in my 3^rd grade class to watch because they will learn about the different parts of Georgia. These are great sites that will be beneficial in my classroom.

The idea of making your own podcast is a lot better then actually sitting and making one. This was very hard for me to set up and get recorded. I don’t know why this was so difficult, but I just could not get this to work. As far as making a class podcast goes I don’t really see the use for it, but I certainly think that I would use voice recording in the classroom. In 3^rd grade the students make their own products during a unit in social studies, and they make commercials to go along with the products. They could certainly use voice recording to add to the commercial, but I don’t see any use in making a podcast. I understand that the podcast has the “social networking” aspect, but I feel that students can get this part of technology in other ways. In the end, I think there are easier and just as beneficial ways to get students to use recording devices in the classroom.

I have always known that podcasts existed, but thought they were just radio shows that you could listen to on your ipod. I had no clue about the vast options one could choose from to subscribe to, and didn’t realize anyone could make a podcast. I really liked searching through the podcasts and listening/watching what they were about. Using podcasts for personal use would certainly be something that I would do. There were some great cooking videos that I would to get cooking ideas, there were also health podcasts, and a Chelsea Lately comedy podcast that would listen to. One of the educational podcasts that I liked was Math Dude; a podcast where students could listen to math issues as an extension to something we were learning about in class. Another podcast that I liked was Mental Math secrets, which was very similar to the Math Dude podcast. There were also great podcasts that broadcast different stories/books that I could play in class while the students follow along in a book. This is another way for students to read together as a class and improve fluency. Downloading itunes on my computer at school, and then playing the podcasts through the smartboard would be an easy way to use this in the classroom.

This is a pretty useful site! I could see myself using this site a lot to get reviews of books that I want to read, or see what is recommended based on what I have already read. I love to hear what other people have to say about books, and think that this is a pretty easy way to read book reviews. I don’t know that I would necessarily catalogue the books I have read or want to read, but can definitely see myself visiting this site often. As far as classroom usage goes I think it would be a good tool to have for the kids, but don’t know if it’s all that necessary. The students could go on this site and look at reviewed books and also write reviews about books they read, but I have to be honest in saying I don’t know how else they could use it.

I LOVE THIS SITE!!! I never knew this “delicious” site existed, and now I feel like my life is going to be so much more organized (well maybe not all aspects). I think this might be the most useful site I have learned about thus far. I found so many great teacher sites that other people had tagged. All teachers should use this site and tag any worthwhile classroom sites they find. It is a fun and easy way for teachers to share ideas with each other, and you are not just limited to the teachers in your school. I absolutely see myself using this site for personal and professional purposes.       My account

I subscribed to a blog called Successful Teaching, and this blog has some really useful websites that are posted every so often. The post for July 16^th (Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 7/16/10 ) had some great websites that students and teachers can use obviously in and outside of the classroom. There are links to a word games website, a literacy website, a reading website, and a vocab website. The other posts that are on this blog are also pretty interesting to read. They tend to talk about the basics of teaching and how to be successful in the classroom.

I was really excited about exploring these websites, and learned a lot from searching through them. I didn’t even know that most of these sites existed. The site that I thought could be in used in the classroom a lot was Quizlet. This is a great way to get kids to study in a more interactive way. They can use flashcards, play study games, and even study together using this website. Students study and learn in so many different ways, and this site gives them one more mode of discovery. This website has a lot of “social” features included; students have the chance to comment on certain flashcards, discuss study topics with each other, and the teacher can post comments back to the students based on their studies.